David Pecker, former publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer, has testified at Donald Trump's hush-money trial in New York
He details a "catch-and-kill" strategy, where damaging news was bought and buried ahead of the 2016 election, calling it an "agreement between friends"
Trump is accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 (£104,500) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels
Earlier on Tuesday, the judge held a fiery hearing to determine if Trump violated a gag order imposed to stop verbal attacks on witnesses
The prosecution says Trump "knows about the order... but he he does it anyway." They want him fined $1,000 for each of 10 violations
The defence says Trump is merely defending himself from political attacks - but judge warns lawyer he is "losing all credibility with the court"
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
The Manhattan District Attorney's office says their opening statement will take about 40 minutes.
Trump's attorneys say theirs will take about 25 minutes.
We're not yet at that stage of the day though, there are some general court issues to clear up first.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
After a short chat, the juror who was having doubts, "is going to remain with us," Justice Merchan said.
We're on to other housekeeping matters now.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Court is now in session.
We're beginning with some hiccups, Justice Merchan says.
We will have to finish at 12:30 today, because one of the jurors has an emergency dental appointment.
He wants to keep this jury together as solidly as possible, so is allowing the accommodation.
A second juror has started to have doubts about the amount of media attention the case is receiving and "wasn’t 100% sure if they wanted to be here today," Justice Merchan says.
The juror has come to court, and Justice Merchan has left the bench as he goes to his robe room to confer with the juror.
Everyone - including Trump - now waits in silence.
'It's unfair' - Trump says he should be campaigning, not in court
As has become common, Donald Trump has just made a brief statement outside the courtroom before proceedings begin.
He reiterates his belief that the trial is a "very unfair" form of "election interference".
The Republican nominee also makes mention of his recent civil judgement in New York, complaining that state attorney general Letitia James is "questioning the bonding company" he used to put up his $175m bond payment.
There is a hearing on this bond matter today as well - Trump has two matters before different judges in New York this morning.
"I have plenty of money to put up," he says, going on to describe New York as "the most unfriendly place to do business".
Turning to leave, the former president concludes: "It's a very, very sad day in America."
He's now inside the courtroom and we are about to start.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
We have just been seated in the courtroom, perched high on the 15th floor, where the Trump trial will take place.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is here, seated in the first row of benches behind the prosecution's table.
We're still awaiting Trump, his lawyers, and Justice Juan Merchan. Soon, we will get our first glimpse of the full jury that has been seated for the case.
This is their first full day on the trial.
Donald Trump has now arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.
He is expected to enter the courtroom shortly.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from outside court
The stakes are high for Manhattan’s District Attorney Alvin Bragg as he begins his historic prosecution of a former president.
Its success or failure seemingly hinges on an untested legal theory – whether a state prosecutor can invoke a federal crime that was never proven.
Ambrosio Rodriguez, a former prosecutor who says he is no fan of the former president, believes the case legitimises Trump's ongoing argument that he is being prosecuted unfairly because of who he is.
Rodriguez argues the case relies on old allegations, noting that federal prosecutors had investigated and declined to bring charges.
"This is a waste of time and a bad idea, and not good for the country," he told the BBC. "This seems just a political need and want to get Trump no matter what the costs are."
Others disagree. Nick Akerman, who worked on the Watergate prosecution, says it's a serious case.
"This is about an effort to defraud the American voters in 2016 to keep them from learning material information that would have affected their vote," he told the BBC, referring to Trump's alleged efforts to hide payments reimbursing his then lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Image source, ReutersDonald Trump raised a fist to the cameras as he walked to his motorcade and headed to court this morning.
It's a pose he has used throughout the first week of the trial.
He has also been posting multiple comments on his social media account in the past hour.
The posts claim the trial is a "witch hunt" and "election interference".
These unsubstantiated claims have been used by the former president throughout this trial, and also in his other legal cases.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from outside court
Balancing a criminal trial and a campaign for the White House is already proving to be no easy task for Donald Trump.
He was meant to cap off his first week in court with one of his signature rallies in the battleground state of North Carolina on Saturday.
But less than an hour before it was due to begin, he had to cancel because of the weather.
The former president feeds off of the energy of his crowd of supporters, making it an important lift for not just his campaign, but him personally.
It’s a jolt of energy and an opportunity to be in command, in the midst of trial where Trump is sitting silently for long hours, four days a week, as his lawyers argue his case.
His campaign intends to make use of all his free time, including evening events such as one he held at a bodega in Harlem.
Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from outside court
The Collect Pond park, an area outside of the Manhattan court, is now open to the public.
A cop at the entrance of the park says they have divided it into areas for pro and anti-Trump protesters, and there are separate entrances for both.
They are trying to make sure the two sides don’t mingle so there is no trouble.
Image source, Getty ImagesFront pages of the National Enquirer, a well-known tabloid newspaper in the US
After opening statements from the legal teams today, the court will start hearing from witnesses.
And prosecutors are expected to call David Pecker as their first witness, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
Pecker is the former publisher of the National Enquirer, a tabloid newspaper in the US.
He's expected to testify about a "catch and kill" scheme where the newspaper purchased the rights to stories that were negative about Donald Trump, but would not publish them.
And at the same time, the paper would reportedly seek out stories that could damage the reputation of Trump's political opponents ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Phil McCausland
Reporting from outside court
Though there are often demonstrators outside court when Trump is in the building, we only have a single protester this morning.
He does not appear to support the former president.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from outside court
Today’s the day we will have opening statements for Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial - the first ever criminal trial of a US president.
We will hear the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and Trump’s lawyers make their opening pitch to the jury, outlining the full sweep of their case.
Then we dive into the details of witness testimony and evidence.
It’s an important day that could set the tone for the next several weeks.
I’m lined up outside the courthouse with a designated press corps who will sit inside the courtroom itself.
It’s going to be a long, busy day, and we’ll be bringing you live updates from inside the room with Trump.
Phil McCausland
Reporting from outside court
Image source, .Security does not seem to have changed significantly since Friday when a man set himself on fire outside the courthouse.
Police are making the rounds, but things still remain fairly quiet.
The park where the incident occurred is closed at the moment but a police officer tells us that it will be open for the public a bit later.
There is no lasting indication of the horrifying blaze.
Maxwell Azzarello, 37, was taken to hospital on Friday in critical condition, where he later died.
Image source, ReutersOn Thursday, the US Supreme Court will hear Donald Trump's argument in a separate case. He contends that he is immune from prosecution on charges related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
In an opinion piece for the The New York Times today, former Republican Representative Liz Cheney says it is likely that all, or nearly all, of the justices agree that in this case there can be a prosecution.
But Cheney - who is a leading critic of Trump - also warns that any delay to that case could have a “profoundly negative impact”. She argues that Trump is the man "most responsible" for the events of 6 January 2021, when rioters stormed the US Capitol building.
What's at stake in Trump's unprecedented trial?
The BBC's Nada Tawfik explains what to look out for and what the consequences of this unprecedented event could be on the 2024 election.
Phil McCausland
Reporting from outside court
Hello from lower Manhattan. I have joined dozens of other journalists in a line to enter the courtroom for the opening statements of Trump’s hush-money trial.
Media from across the US and globe have cameras set up on the street next to us, but it is otherwise fairly quiet here outside the courthouse - moments after sunrise.
We’re expecting a shorter day here due to Passover. Court is scheduled to end about 14:00 local time (19:00 BST).
Even though the day will end early, Judge Merchan and prosecutors have suggested it could be a big day. If there is time after opening statements, we may hear from the first witness in the case, which will reportedly be ex-tabloid publisher David Pecker - who you can read about below.
Image source, ReutersOnce the opening statements are out of the way, prosecutors are expected to call David Pecker as their first witness, as first reported by the New York Times.
The former publisher of the National Enquirer is expected to testify about an alleged "catch and kill" scheme to purchase the rights to negative stories about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors have said Pecker and the National Enquirer suppressed negative stories about Trump while seeking out and publishing unflattering stories about his opponents.
Here's where things stand going into day five:
Image source, ReutersLet's get started with a bit of a recap.
Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with business fraud related to a hush-money payment that was made to ex-porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Daniels claims she and Trump had sex in 2006, and that she accepted $130,000 (£104,500) from Trump's former lawyer in exchange for her silence about the encounter just ahead of the 2016 US election (which Trump won).
Prosecutors allege Trump had his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, make the payment, and that Trump then fraudulently recorded his reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses when in fact it was payback for the hush-money payment. This is the alleged offence.
The former president faces 34 counts of fraud under campaign finance laws, and has pleaded not guilty to all of them. He's also denied any sexual involvement with Daniels.